Flathead County, Montana

Flathead County is a county in Montana, United States, about 120 miles north of Missoula and
bordering British Columbia, Canada. It had a population of 104,357 at the 2020 census, an
estimated 115,429 by 2025, and covers 5,088 square miles (13,180 km2) of land centred near
48°17′N 114°01′W.

Kalispell is the county seat and its largest city; its postal code is 59901. The county holds
3 cities and 21 census-designated places, and no part of Montana is organized into civil
townships. It runs on Mountain Time. Its FIPS code is 30029.

Towns & Villages in Flathead County

Flathead County has 24 named places on record: 3 incorporated cities and 21 census-designated
places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place, a
Census Bureau boundary drawn around a recognizable community that has never incorporated.

Niarada straddles the Flathead–Sanders county line, so a share of its residents are
counted in the neighboring county, not this one. Evergreen and Kalispell share ZIP 59901 because
Evergreen is an unincorporated suburb immediately northeast of the city with its own CDP boundary
but no separate post office. The county’s two smallest CDPs, Essex and Polebridge, have no
ZIP of their own; mail there routes through West Glacier and Columbia Falls.

ZIP Codes

• 59901 — Kalispell (also covers Evergreen)
• 59901–59904 — Kalispell’s full ZIP range, including PO box codes
• 59937 — Whitefish
• 59912 — Columbia Falls
• 59911 — Bigfork
• 59922 — Lakeside
• 59919 — Hungry Horse
• 59925 — Marion
• 59932 — Somers
• 59913 — Coram
• 59926 — Martin City
• 59920 — Kila
• 59921 / 59936 — West Glacier
• 59927 — Olney
• 59845 — Niarada

Essex, Polebridge, Batavia, Forest Hill Village, Helena Flats, Little Bitterroot Lake,
Pinnacle, Rhodes and Snowslip have no ZIP code of their own; residents there use the nearest
larger post office.

Geography

Flathead County covers 5,256 square miles in all, of which 5,088 are land and 169 are water,
about 3.2 percent — unusually high for Montana, driven almost entirely by Flathead Lake,
the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. The lake’s northern arm
sits inside the county at Bigfork and Somers, while the Flathead River and its North, Middle and
South Forks drain the county’s mountain country before meeting at the lake. The county’s
western third lies inside Flathead National Forest, and its northeastern corner holds the western
half of Glacier National Park, including the park’s headquarters near West Glacier.

British Columbia lies directly north across the Canadian border. Within Montana, Glacier County and Pondera County border Flathead to the
east, Teton County and Lewis and Clark County lie
southeast, Powell County and Missoula County lie south, Lake County and Sanders County lie southwest, and Lincoln County lies west.

Demographics

Flathead County had a population of 104,357 at the 2020 census, Montana’s fourth most
populous county, and the latest estimate puts it near 115,429 residents. Kalispell and Evergreen
are the two largest communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s
population. Median household income runs about $75,431, above Montana’s statewide figure of
$70,804. Population density works out to roughly 21 people per square mile of land, low by
national standards but among the higher rural densities in western Montana, reflecting decades of
growth around the Flathead Valley’s lakes and ski country.

Economy & Local Life

Health care is the county’s largest employment sector. Logan Health, based at its
Kalispell hospital campus, is Flathead County’s single biggest private employer, with more
than 4,000 workers. Tourism and outdoor recreation employ a large share of the rest, anchored by
Whitefish Mountain Resort’s ski slopes above Whitefish and by Glacier National Park’s
west entrance at West Glacier. Columbia Falls carries the county’s industrial history: the
Anaconda Aluminum Company built a reduction plant there in the mid-1950s that ran for decades
before closing, and the town remains a base for wood-products and light manufacturing. Bigfork,
on Flathead Lake’s north shore, is a longtime cherry-growing area and home to the Bigfork
Summer Playhouse. The county’s biggest annual event is the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo
at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell each August, running since 1902 and drawing tens
of thousands of visitors over its six days.

History

The Montana Territorial Legislature created Flathead County on 6 February 1893, carving it out
of the northern portion of Missoula County. It takes its name from the Flathead Indians, the
English name settlers gave the Salish people, though the widely repeated claim that the Salish
practiced head-flattening has no historical evidence behind it. Kalispell was platted in 1891
ahead of the Great Northern Railway’s arrival and became the county seat when the county
organized two years later.

Glacier National Park, established in 1910, put the county’s eastern mountains under
federal protection and built the tourism economy that still anchors West Glacier and Whitefish
today. The Hungry Horse Dam, completed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1953 on the South Fork
of the Flathead River, created Hungry Horse Reservoir and the community that grew up to house its
construction workers, first called Damtown and renamed Hungry Horse in 1948.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Flathead County; US Route 2 runs east–west through
Kalispell, Evergreen, Columbia Falls and West Glacier, and US Route 93 runs north–south
through Kalispell and Whitefish on its way to the Canadian border. Montana Highway 35 follows
Flathead Lake’s east shore, and Montana Highway 40 links US 93 south of Whitefish to US 2
west of Columbia Falls.

• Missoula — about 120 miles south
• Glacier National Park (west entrance) — about 30 miles northeast of Kalispell
• Eureka — about 60 miles northwest
• Polson — about 45 miles south

Glacier Park International Airport sits inside the county itself, about eight miles north of
Kalispell between Kalispell and Whitefish, with year-round commercial service. Amtrak’s
Empire Builder stops daily at Whitefish’s depot — the line’s busiest station in
Montana — and makes flag stops at West Glacier and Essex.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Flathead County located?
It sits in northwestern Montana on the Canadian border, about 120 miles north of Missoula,
bordered by Glacier, Pondera, Teton, Lewis and Clark, Powell, Missoula, Lake, Sanders and Lincoln
counties.

What is the population of Flathead County?
104,357 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 115,429 by 2025.

How big is Flathead County?
5,256 square miles (13,610 km2) in total, of which 5,088 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Flathead County?
Kalispell, platted in 1891 ahead of the Great Northern Railway, is the county seat and largest
city.

How many towns and cities are in Flathead County?
Three incorporated cities — Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls — plus 21
census-designated places, from Evergreen and Bigfork down to Polebridge and Essex.

What ZIP codes does Flathead County use?
59901 through 59904 for Kalispell and Evergreen, 59937 for Whitefish, 59912 for Columbia Falls,
plus separate codes for Bigfork, Lakeside, Somers, Coram, Martin City, Kila, Marion, Hungry Horse,
West Glacier, Olney and Niarada.

What is Flathead County known for?
Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and the western half
of Glacier National Park, reached through West Glacier.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Montana.